Source: Wikipedia.
Oakland has a vibrant arts scene, a good nightlife, and an interesting selection of attractions including family-friendly attractions like the zoo, amusement park, museums, and parks. There are professional sports teams to see too, and Oakland offers a very good variety of cuisines.
Oakland’s Restaurants and Cuisine
Oakland is gaining a reputation for fabulous food and you can find a great selection of cuisines in its roughly 500 restaurants, scattered all over the city. Oakland is a very ethnically diverse city and this diversity definitely shines through in its cuisine with a tasty variety of things to try including the more typical American, through Vietnamese, French, Italian, and many more. The city is also gaining a reputation for featuring locally grown produce in its restaurants.
Some of those different ethnic cuisines are featured among the city’s top rated restaurants – at Commis (the top rated restaurant according to TripAdvisor) the focus is on French and Spanish, while the second most popular restaurant, Bellanico, serves Italian. Belgian is the specialty at The Trappist, and just outside the top ten is an Indian restaurant, Burma Superstar.
Attractions in Oakland
Whether you live in Oakland permanently or you’re coming for a quick visit don’t expect this to be a boring city living in the shadow of San Francisco. On the contrary, Oakland has a very good selection of attractions, and features numerous family-friendly things to see and do. Among the top family attractions you’ll find Oakland Zoo. Established in 1922 Oakland Zoo is a small size zoo with around 600 animals and has been long respected for its excellent elephant exhibit. There are many other species of animals from all around the world represented here too.
Children’s Fairyland is another long-term favorite Oakland family attraction. It opened in 1950 on the banks of Lake Merritt and has fairytale inspired rides and shows. Lake Merritt itself is a tourist attraction – it’s the oldest official wildlife refuge in the country, home to wild ducks, and even though the city has built up around it it’s still a popular place for people and birds!
Oakland has a couple museums as well including the Oakland Museum of California which is dedicated to art, history, and natural sciences which all go to tell the story of California. The Oakland Aviation Museum is another museum, and there are also the hands-on exhibits at the Chabot Space and Science Center.
Professional Sports Teams
Sports fans will love Oakland too as it’s home to three professional sports teams – the Oakland Raiders who play in the AFC West of the National Football League, and the Oakland Athletics who are in the American League West Division of the Major League Baseball. Both these teams play at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum where there are also major music concerts and events staged at other times of the year.
The third team, the Golden State Warriors, play very close by at the neighboring Oracle Arena. They’re in the National Basketball Association Western Conference Pacific Division.
